Welcome to Inside Rensselaer, for the faculty and staff of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

This publication communicates the many and varied things happening with Rensselaer people and programs, from research highlights to professional milestones, from faculty accomplishments to events and everyday news you can use.

Rensselaer will mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 with a memorial service. With flags lowered to half-staff, the program will begin promptly at 9 a.m. with the singing of the national anthem by the Rensselyrics.

Timothy Sams, former associate dean of students at the New York University Abu Dhabi campus, has joined Rensselaer as vice president for student life. Sams is an experienced leader, student life authority, and senior administrator.

Professor Wayne Gray has been awarded a Humboldt Research Award from the Germany-based Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to pursue research at the Max Planck Institute Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition (ABC) in Berlin.

A select group of Rensselaer undergraduates in the School of Science spent their summer in the labs of science faculty working on some of the most pressing scientific issues facing society  from the search for new medications to the hunt for the origins of our planet.

In tribute to their outstanding commitment to the Institute and their fellow alumni, the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) and the Office of Alumni Relations have recognized an outstanding group of volunteers with the 2011 RAA Awards.

Moe’s Southwest Grill will host its official grand opening on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The venue, located on the corner of 15th Street and College Avenue, is a Sodexho-owned franchise that now resides in the space that was formerly home to Java ++.